Funding Shortfalls Threaten Gaza Aid; West Bank Demolitions and Settler Violence Escalate

UN OCHA’s latest report warns that from October, Gaza’s daily hot‑meal production and monthly household parcel distributions will shrink sharply due to funding gaps. Over 13 % of Gaza’s population—about 279,000 people—live in flood‑prone displacement sites, and more than 2,300 residents are in unsafe buildings that require demolition. Restrictions on engine oil, spare parts and equipment have cut desalination in southern Gaza, forcing reliance on donkey carts and UN trucks for waste collection. In the West Bank, demolitions displaced 55 Palestinians, including 32 children, in Jinba, and homes in three Masafer Yatta communities were almost entirely destroyed. Settler activity in Jalud damaged properties, and settler violence disrupted education in Hebron, Tubas, Qawawis and Khirbet ar Ras al Ahmar, leaving several children without in‑person schooling. The Acting Special Coordinator noted that Israeli authorities have withheld about US$6 billion in clearance revenues, leaving the Palestinian Authority unable to deliver basic services, sustain social protection, or pay civil‑service salaries. He also warned that the health situation remains critical, with widespread infectious diseases amid overcrowded displacement sites and shortages of medical supplies, fuel and overall humanitarian response.